Eckstein’s hit in the “5–6? hole was the difference in the game. I was not positioned properly at third base.

Why does it matter?

If Eckstein gets on base, Lidge had to face the lefty Edmonds. In 2004 and 2005, Edmonds hit 4 home runs into the left field Crawford Boxes. Behind Edmonds is Pujols, the best hitter the game has ever seen.

Click on through to find out exactly why Ensberg wasn’t positioned properly. It’s a fascinating read and just goes to show you once again that we will never be able to fully account for all of the variables in the great game of baseball.

During today’s spring training game with the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, third baseman Placido Polanco was injured attempting to catch a pop-up on the pitcher’s mound. He limped off the field with the help of two trainers. Cody Ransom took his place in the game.

It is unknown at the moment how serious Polanco’s injury is [EDIT: Right knee strain sprain], but I will update this post as more information comes in. Also be sure to follow the beat on Twitter:

In the event that Polanco is out for an extended period of time, the Phillies could use a platoon of the left-handed Greg Dobbs and the right-handed Cody Ransom. It is unlikely that the team will make a trade for a third baseman unless the injury will cause Polanco to miss most or all of the 2010 season.

Polanco was sidelined for three days back in 2008 due to right knee soreness, but otherwise has had no lingering issues.